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The majority of the marketing that you do will be visual marketing. Not only is visual information processed through the brain faster then textual information, but visuals also have a better retention rate. We remember 40% of what we see, but only 20% of what we read. Check out more facts about visual vs. text marketing in this infographic from Huffpost.

This month we'll be talking specifically about how to present your merchandise in a visually engaging way, to catch the attention of your customers in person and online. Here are six tips to keep in mind whether you are constructing a dynamic market display or crafting a post on Facebook.

6 Visual Merchandising Tips for Farmers

1. Show abundance

Customers like to feel like they can pick from a bounty of items, so show them that you have plenty to offer. A photo of a nice big harvest is an impressive site!

2. Keep it simple & use space

Too much visual clutter will make it hard for customers to see what you are offering. Space out items you are showcasing so that each product is easier to distinguish.

3. Highlight quality

There might be an ugly food trend happening, but it's still a good idea to show your best goods...unless you've got a really weird looking veggie, then see tip number five.

4. Show variety

Customers are attracted to choice. Show them all the different products that you offer so they know when they shop from you they will find something they want.

5. Use novelty

People are attracted to familiar things that are presented in a new and interesting way. Display your items in a novel way and your customers will want to show and share with their friends, creating a buzz for your products.

6. Use color

Color attracts people and can be used to enhance some of the other tips listed above. For example, showing richly colored items will highlight quality. Grouping colors together can create a sense of abundance while putting contrasting colors next to each other will make your items stand out.

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We can't talk about food trends all month without finally giving a big nod to our favorite one: the local food movement. The concept of eating locally is not as new and trendy as say, eating like a caveman, but it has been mentioned on food trend lists for at least the last 10 years. The growth in popularity of this long-standing trend has turned "eating locally" into a whole movement and for some people, a lifestyle.

Success in Small Batches

A trend that's growing within the larger local food movement is the concept of "small batch" goods. Consumers who are committed "locavores" are looking to source more and more of their food staples close to home, beyond the staple items thay can get from their farmer. While some farms have found success with value-added goods that they make in small batches directly on their farm, other farmers are following the trend by partnering with small batch food producers who need local sources for the ingredients they use to make products like craft beer, artisianal cheese, and gourmet pickles.

Small batch success stories:

Catering to the Craft Brewer

Distillers of small batch spirits and brewers of craft beer and hard cider are on the hunt for local ingredients. They have created such a demand that some farmers have even switched from growing produce to growing hops. We caught up with Jessica Schneider of Schneider's Hop Haus in Ohio who, after starting her hop farm in 2013, finds herself right in the midst of a growing food trend. Jessica had this to say about her success marketing local hops:

"Hops have a knack of marketing themselves right now. We know that we are fortunate to be in our third growing season, which is the first potential for a full harvest, right as the craft brewing scene is percolating in Ohio. The last two years, our modest harvests have sold out the same day that we took the bines down. Social media, community connections, and coordination with the collaboration of hop growers around us have proven to be very effective marketing techniques, thus far."

Read the full interview, featured on the Schneiders Hop Haus blog, to find out how Jessica was inspired to start the farm, where hop farming is headed, and other food trends that are popping up in Ohio. Then check out her post on this new food trend: eating hop shoots.

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"Trending" is a term used to describe those topics that people are sharing and posting about online. In a more general sense, the term represents anything that's currently popular and that people are talking about. You can find out what foods and ingredients are trending right now by using social media to follow people and outlets that report about what's new in food. Here our two favorite sources for food news:

We mentioned earlier this month that you can create your own food trends. "Eating with the seasons" is a concept that continues to gain in popularity and it's really easy to encourage this through marketing. Show your customers and fans what's "trending" right now (i.e. what's in season) on your website, in your farm newsletter or in a text message.

Here are some sample images that we made for you to share or use for inspiration for your own food trends:

You can make similar combinations of images and text online (we used www.canva.com) or just post a picture and use the post to explain it.

Twitter's platform is especially suited for posting about and keeping up with trends. Hashtags are used to group together posts about the same topic and are searchable so they generate lists of similar content. For example, when we post tips to help you market your farm on Twitter, we use the hashtag #farmmarketing. Other people use that tag as well, so if you are looking for farm marketing tips you can search this hashtag and come up with a list of relevant posts. Here is an image that we that made for specifically for sharing on Twitter, based on a hashtag that was trending earlier this month:

While we included the hashtag in the image, you will still need to add it to your Tweet for it to be searchable. You can read more about hashtags here.

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When it comes to new food trends, not everyone is ready to try the next new thing. But you don't have to start planting vegetable hybrids or catching crickets in order to jump on the food trend bandwagon.

Below are some recipes that you can share with your customers and fans that capitalize on current food trends and highlight some common foods in a new way. Visit the Small Farm Central Facebook page and SFC Twitter account for images to share on social media.

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Recently, Twitter was buzzing with the news that "kelp is the new kale" a suggestion made by this recent articleon "The Salt", NPR's food blog. At first, I was a little concerned. Was kale, a great CSA and farmers market crop, going to fall out of favor to a food that can't always be cultivated locally? But this news is not as bad as it sounds, since food trends can present great marketing opportunities for farmers. Here are three things to keep in mind to help you use current food trends to your advantage, whether you're are selling kale, kelp, or kohlrabi.

1. Trends in food and eating are not as fleeting as you think.

It can take years for new foods to reach a level of mainstream consumption. Seaweed, for example, has been building popularity for about 4 years. This means that you can easily to stay on top of ongoing trends and focus what's relevant for you and your customers.

2. You don't have to be selling a trendy food in order to use it in your marketing.

While there are certainly "foodies" who are looking for the next new thing, most people are not ready to add crickets to their diet. But, you can still capitalize on the popularity of these foods by offering offering up new recipes that feature trends as well as highlight your products. Here is a recipe that we posted on our Facebook page that combines trendy kelp with our favorite staple, kale.

3. Food trends can start locally, with products you already have.

You might have little room in your farm planning to try out a new crop or variety, but you can make your tried-and-true crops new again. Think of newness from the perspective of your customer. There are goods that you sell that they haven't tried yet, so you can still introduce them to new flavors and ingredients, even if they don't feel that new or trendy to you.

How do you find out what the current food trends are?

Many food news outlets, food blogs, and food critics post their predications for emerging food trends at the beginning of the year. They also keep a pulse on what chefs are doing and what's popular in other countries that might catch on here. Here are a few sources: The Kitchen Daily & Everyday Health, but a quick online search of "foods trends" will also do the trick.

The fall harvest is a time when food seems bountiful and we take the time to reflect and give thanks for what we have. Two “food days” in October remind us of the people who work hard to provide this bounty and they encourage an awareness of the issues that threaten their life’s work.

Coming up on October 16th is World Food Day, an annual event organized by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations to bring awareness to world hunger issues. Since 2014 is also the International Year of Family Farming, this year’s World Food Day theme is: "Family Farming: Feeding the world, caring for the earth". The theme has a broad scope and, according to their website, addresses:

“the significant role of family farming in eradicating hunger and poverty, providing food security and nutrition, improving livelihoods, managing natural resources, protecting the environment, and achieving sustainable development, in particular in rural areas.”

Later in the month, on Octber 24th, is Food Day, a national event hosted by a coalition of over 100 partner organizations. Food Day “envisions food that is healthy, affordable, and produced with care for the environment, farm animals, and the people who grow, harvest, and serve it.” This year they are bringing a special focus to food justice issues like access & equality, farm & food service workers, hunger & obesity and even junk food marketing.

Check out the the Food Day website to find activities in your area, and to read more about the issues they are tackling. Their resources is filled with great information for sharing including infographics about food justice.

We are adding a new position to the Small Farm Central team, Farmer Success Specialist. This position entails supporting our customers as well as developing and implementing a plan to reach out to existing customers to ensure they are having success with the software.

Many more details here:

We have been working with an illustrator to develop some stock images of CSA boxes that look like this:

This is conjunction with a feature for Member Assembler which will allow associating an image with each member type to give members a better visual feel for what each box looks like as they are making their selections. You will be able to upload your own image or use one of these illustrations.

And here's another smart infographic about farmers markets from The Farmers Market Coalition to share on your websites. Be sure to check out their website for more great resources to promote your market.

Keep spreading the word about shopping at local markets and be sure to keep on celebrating through the weekend!